“No need to invite me in, Daniel,” the woman chirps, sashaying in Daniel’s direction in a wine-red designer dress with cleavage so low, I wonder if she used tape to keep the fabric from exposing her nipples.
Before Daniel can react, she leans in to kiss his cheek. A glance at him tells me that her presence is unwelcome, and I don’t miss the meaningful look he gives me, as if communicating he’d rather receive a kiss from me.
“Victoria, this is Leonara,” he introduces me after it becomes clear she doesn’t realize there’s a third person in the room.
“Ah, Leonara Alvarez,” she drawls, and I notice a disapproving glare as she cramps me into the you’re-ten-levels-beneath-me box adorned with an I’ll-stab-you-with-my-heels bow. “The girl for all the trouble.”
Looking at her pristine clothes, perfectly styled hair, and Gucci bag dangling from her arm, I dare say I was faced with more trouble the last few days than she was in all her lifetime. “Trouble is my second name, chica,” I fire back with a grin, including a wink for good measure. Victoria gasps at what she probably considers an insult, and I see Daniel hiding a grin behind his hand.
Princess Victoria quickly gathers her composure, straightening as if I’d just made her a few inches smaller. “Hmm. Tell me, Leonara… How does it feel to be a millionaire?”
“Uh, you tell me. You look like a very rich lady,” I comment with a nod to her necklace embroidered with so many glistening stones. I’m surprised she doesn’t topple over from the excess weight.
Victoria barks out a loud laugh, turning to face Daniel. “She’s one of a kind.”
“She is,” Daniel drawls in a seductive tone, and I wonder if he wanted to get some point across as his gaze is solely on me, penetrating me with a fervency that dampens my panties. Again.
The silent exchange isn’t lost on Victoria, and a brief look of surprise flickers across her flawless face. “You have news?” Daniel reminds her in an authoritative tone, telling her to get to business.
“Yes, it concerns…” Like Emilio, she pauses with a disapproving glance in my direction. “… you know who.”
I can’t hold back a snort. “You found Voldemort? That’s so cool,” I mock, adding the last part in a whisper. I know I’m playing with fire, but what can I say, this is my defense mechanism. Victoria pushed me into the ring, and now I’m in the middle of a duel I’m determined to win.
Daniel joins my laughter, but Victoria doesn’t share his amusement. “I think this is something we should discuss in private, Daniel.” The way she says his name, she could have as well screamed He’s mine!
Daniel opens his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it. “If this is about my father, I have a right to hear it.” Victoria glances to Daniel for help, and her look tells me she’s annoyed he didn’t throw me out already. Daniel plays the ball in my direction, asking me silently if I can take it, whatever Victoria has to say. I nod.
“As she said, she has a right to know.” Daniel comes to my defense.
“Fine,” Victoria seethes, her sharp tone indicating it’s anything but fine. “Piero Alvarez is dead. The chase is over.”
Daniel’s eyes slice into mine, but I remain calm. I’ve never wished my father any harm, but I won’t shed a tear over his dead body. He left me in the lurch when I needed him the most. He was already dead for me a long time ago.
“Are you sure?” Daniel questions. Victoria fumbles through her Gucci bag, slapping something onto Daniel’s desk. “What’s this?”
I step closer to see a photograph of… a dead man? Hard to tell because the skin is charred black, just as the chunks of wood and metal buried underneath him, a haze of smoke clouding the picture.
“This was Piero Alvarez,” Victoria corrects. “Chained to a chair, doused with gasoline, and lit up.”
“Where?”
“In an old shed near the tidewater lagoons.”
“Who did this to him?”
“We caught two of his accomplices. They claim it was the Ramos cartel. Alvarez made a deal with them that went south.”
Daniel is silent for a long moment, scrutinizing Victoria with distrust in his eyes. It appears he doesn’t believe her. “How do you know it’s him? It could be anyone.”
Again, Victoria fumbles in her bag only to pull out a mangled phone, half of the plastic melted. “We found his phone, and his car stood close by. There’s no doubt this is Piero Alvarez,” she confirms, tapping a finger on the picture.
My eyes swerve to the window. The sun shines brightly, and the birds chirp. The world still spins. In a couple of days, both my parents died. And for what? For a picture as big as a sheet of paper, a picture of planets surrounding an island my grandfather probably painted under the influence of LSD.
The Alvarez bloodline is dead except for me. Now I’m officially alone in this world.
“Are you all right?” I startle and look at Daniel who now stands next to me.
“Daniel, it’s over,” Victoria throws in before I can speak. “You don’t need the girl anymore. Take her home.”
Daniel’s jaw clenches at her words, and he shoots her a look so dark, I’m surprised she doesn’t turn to ashes. “Leave us.”
“But Daniel, we have to—”
“I said leave us!” he booms, and I jump slightly at the harsh tone, glad I’m not on the receiving end of his outburst.
With one dagger-throwing look in my direction and a sad glance at Daniel, it’s clear she’d rather throw her Gucci bag into the pool than see me standing so close to him. Obeying his command, she struts out of the room, making sure to bang the door behind her loudly.
“Girlfriend or ex-wife?” I can’t help but ask after she’s gone.
“Neither,” he answers in a frustrated tone.
I smack my lips. “She doesn’t seem to share your point of view.”
“Leonara,” Daniel pleads when I step away from him to put some distance between us, but he intertwines a hand with mine, pulling me back into him. “Don’t do this.”
“Do what?”
A thumb strokes over mine. “Don’t turn your back on me,” he whispers before his lips come down on mine to give me a long kiss, one that leaves me pining for more, and at that moment, I ask myself, could it be that he has feelings for me?
Before my head can wreak havoc over the question, a ringing sound snaps us out of the passionate moment. Daniel gives me an apologetic look before lifting the phone to his ear.
“Natalia,” he says in a gentle tone, his eyes still riveted on me as he listens to what she says. “Yes, everything’s taken care of. I’ve managed to gather a few more sponsors, and we expect to get double the funds than last year.” I shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other, feeling as if invading a private moment, but Daniel lifts a finger signaling me to wait and stay put.
“Yeah, I’ve chartered a jet for tomorrow morning,” he adds after a pause, and I don’t like the heavy weight settling in my stomach.
Daniel’s leaving? Where to? With or without me? No, what a stupid question. Victoria said it herself—Daniel has no need for me anymore, so either he’ll make good on his promise and let me go, trusting me to keep his identity safe, or he’ll throw me into the Gulf of Mexico, figuring his secret is too valuable.
“Actually…” he continues with a pause. “I won’t come alone this time. Yes, I will. Tell her I love her. Goodbye.”
Eyes still latched on me, he ends the call. I wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t, continuing to analyze me.
“Where are you going?” I ask at last, trying to sound nonchalant, but if his smirk is anything to go by, I’ve failed big time.
“We are going to Australia.”